Chasing Falling Stars
by Capella A. Morningside
Summary: The story of a certain master and apprentice in the world of the Minish... when the bonds are broken and the trust is betrayed. Warnings will come later.


**Chasing Falling Stars**

_by Capella A. Morningside_

Summary: The story of a master and apprentice in the world of the Minish... when the bonds are broken and the trust is betrayed. Warnings will come later. Incomplete.

* * *

It was a rare treat for a child apprentice to be allowed freedom from lessons for an entire day. It was always a welcome break from the usual dull routine of being forced to sit behind a desk and read tiresome books until his eyes ached from the strain, swatted over the head with his master's walking-stick whenever he was caught daydreaming, or being assigned the task of re-shelving the multitude of books that his master would drag from the shelves. 

He loved being outside, even though the sun hurt his sensitive eyes and, if he wasn't careful, gave him painful burns on his skin. One could say he was different than most Minish; long, silky white hair, exceptionally pale skin and his eyes, rather than the usual deep black, were tinted strongly with crimson. It was a kind of condition, he'd been told, almost like a sickness though it had no other effects.

Vaati had wandered far from the village that day, knowing too well that if he was conveniently close, Ezlo would find something for him to do whether he'd been promised a day of rest or not. Most of the other Minish children were too busy to play today: not that he enjoyed playing with them anyway. Over the last couple of years, he had grown somewhat egotistical from being picked for the apprenticeship everyone else wanted. But Vaati had earned the right fair and square, passing every mental challenge the old master of lore and sorcery put forth with ease.

Of course it wasn't easy being Ezlo's apprentice. He was firm, never completely pleased with anything, demanding, scolding, and sometimes had the fault of treating his apprentice like a servant. The child had learned to take the old Minish in stride, for one day, soon he hoped, he would take Ezlo's place in the village and be that one that sometimes even the elder consulted for help and advice. It was the village's unparalleled position of power.

But now it was his day off, and being lazy was excusable. He'd slept in, so long in fact that Ezlo had started making his work intentionally very loud just to force the boy out of bed, and promptly dressed and attempted to dart past his master to play outside. Only to be stopped forcibly, finding himself held in a glowing blue bubble as Ezlo lectured him as to what he was absolutely _not _to do on his day out, and 'strongly advised' him to eat something before he left (not that he listened, of course).

_Free for a whole day. _Vaati relished in the thought, stretching out on the fallen flower petal he was using as a puddle raft with a great yawn. Being near water wasn't the first rule he'd broken that day, but Ezlo surely wouldn't notice if he came back with no evidence. Reaching out to one side, over the upwardly curved edge of the petal and dipping his fingers in the water, the white-haired Minish said to no one in particular, "When I am the new sage, I shall do whatever I like, all day long. And no one can tell me to do otherwise."

It was comforting to hear himself say that, even when he was aware that being the master of sorcery and lore would require more work than he could imagine. Rewarding work, but still, it was work, and being a wise child, he cherished every moment he could in his young life.

A breeze blew, and the cattails of the nearby stream rattled together as nature's wind chimes. With the cool wind came many delightful, floating scents... the blossoming flowers, the tang of the wild onion plants growing nearby, and, from further off, the smell of baked candies from his favorite sweets shop. Minish had keen noses, but his was the sharpest he knew, most likely his body's compensation for his slightly poor eyesight. When the wind blew again, the boy raised his hand, letting the breeze pass through his fingers. It caressed his palm, almost asking him to take hold, but before long it gave up and wafted on by.

Sometimes, the winds were the only ones he could talk to.

And now they were telling him something: early blueberries. The boy's senses perked as he sat up in his petal boat, immediately starting a search for the source of that enticing smell. It wasn't long before Vaati could make it out, just peering over the tops of the high grass-stems, a shiny, deep-blue, flawless surface that shone in the bright sun. He licked his lips... it had been over a year since he'd had one of these!

Now, Vaati was usually a very sensible Minish, especially for his age, but when he got excited things often took a downward turn for his grace. First of all, when he caught sight of that lovely berry, it looked so delicious he quite forgot his balance and stood up on his petal boat. This resulted in a very rapidly capsized flower petal, and though it soaked Vaati's long hair and clothing, it did not for a moment dampen his spirits. He could swim well, and his little white head poked out of the water less than a moment later, eager as ever. Abandoning his little boat, but not forgetting his violet cap that had been lost to the water during his fall, the youth swam to the shore of the puddle, twisting water out of his hair as best he could.

Keeping his little red eyes on the berry (but, unfortunately, not his path), the boy ran through the towering stalks of grass, almost tripping on several pebbles. His direction vague, the child never once stopped to get his bearings, not even thinking to do so, until, that is, he reached the bush that contained the desired treat.

The smell was getting stronger, as was his craving... but the mindful Minish turned to look over his shoulder and was horrified to find that multiple paths led to the spot he'd come to now, and he had no remembrance of which he'd taken. Another glance up to the berry, and he decided panicking over being lost would have to wait... besides, he could probably climb high enough to see the village from the bush.

Climbing was one thing that Vaati was not particularly excellent at, however, and the bush looked about twice as tall as it had from afar, but the fact that he could now see the clusters upon clusters of berries just above more than erased his fears. He stepped forward pensively, first testing the branch then beginning to scale upwards, the fruit closer now with each leaf stem he passed. Of course, the child dared not look below; any sensible person knows that it will only make you nervous. Counting only one error, namely when a large gust blew and shook the entire plant, the boy reached the lowest available cluster of blueberries.

_Sweet victory._

Perched atop the cluster, he focused on the berry next to the one he stood upon. Little, eager hands clawed at the smooth skin of the fruit, tiny clawlike nails digging in and peeling the layer back to reveal the juicy fruit within. Vaati wasted no time, without hesitation plunging his hand into the flesh of his treat and pulling out a rather large piece, the dark juice dripping down his fingers and wrist already.

Atop this high place, greedily enjoying his treat, the albino was lost in his own world. He continued to eat as if he hadn't eaten in days, oblivious to the sounds of something swiftly approaching. The crunch of a twig caught his attention at long last, at a point when he was already quite full. Cautiously raising his head, Vaati scanned the area around him... _perhaps it was only my imagination. I've been working too hard. _But just as he was about to return to his food, a flick of something large and gray showed itself in the corner of his eye, and he looked again, just in time to see the gigantic object disappear under the cluster he was standing on. The Minish put down his food, crawling carefully to the edge of the berry cluster, and gripping the edge so tightly his fingers dug into the fruit, he peeked over.

A large, dark gray body came into view, with a twitching tail, and two pointed ears atop the head. Further inspection revealed long whiskers, poking out on either side of the head. He tried hard to remember the human word for this creature, but in his fear, his usually good knowledge of the human language was sketchy at best and he settled for his native tongue's term of _kissamo_. It was sniffing along the base of the bush, inhaling the scent of the creature that had been there just minutes before.

Vaati began to fear that his breathing and even his heartbeat were incredibly too loud. Trying to calm himself, he drew in and exhaled slow, shaking breaths, each time not feeling as if he were getting quite enough air. The boy held as still as possible, simply enduring the complaining aches of his tense muscles as he held his body rigid. All this time, he simply told himself that it would soon pass, a _kissamo_ was not particularly known for its attention span. He withdrew his eyes only for a moment, and only so to rapidly plot his path of return to the village by scanning the forest of grass. But when he looked back, his heart skipped one, no, two beats... the _kissamo's _large yellow eyes were fixed right upon him, and he couldn't suppress his whimper of fear.

The great beast rose from its crouched position, and to the horror of the Minish, it was much bigger than he had originally thought. When its legs were finally straightened out, the gigantic head was nearly on level with the boy, and he stumbled back from the edge of the cluster, backing up against the stem of the plant, shaking in terror. The grey _kissamo _advanced, the tail now almost upright and still flicking back and forth, curious. The wet pink nose was almost touching Vaati now, he was resisting the lump that rose in his throat and threatened to make him cry. Rushing winds passed him, the animal sniffing out its prey, inhaling the scent of tension and fear. Vaati closed his eyes, silently mouthing his prayers to the goddesses, pressing himself as hard as he could against the stem of the plant...

He opened his eyes just in time to see a massive paw, deadly claws extended, coming straight at him. In his shock, he attempted to sidestep the blow, not realizing until it was too late that he had nothing solid to stand on. Thankfully, his fall was not fatal, having been broken twice by leaves before he hit the ground. Nonetheless, it still hurt, and momentarily Vaati found it impossible to rise from the dirt, groaning in pain as his first attempt failed.

The beast gave a deafening, piercing call, crouching swiftly again as it made another swipe at its victim, thankfully missing. The pain lost priority, and the Minish sprung back to a stand, taking to his feet in a run. He began a path in a wide circle around the _kissamo, _barely missing a couple more attempted strikes from the paw, before the creature rose and started a chase.

It was after Vaati when he hit the edge of the grass forest. Panting, the boy attempted to recall the escape path to the village he'd chosen, and the winding paths were exactly as he'd planned. Only when he was about halfway returned did he realize what he was doing: leading this _kissamo_ right to his village, a sin punishable by death. So now it was a choice: his life, or the lives of countless villagers.

Resigning his fate to the gods, the white-haired boy took a sudden turn, trying to steer the giant animal away from the population ahead. No longer knowing where he was headed, and not caring, he continued to run, despite the increasing cramp in his side, despite his lack of breath, despite the ache in his legs that grew with each passing second. The creature was continually calling out its strange cries behind him, no doubt some of the villagers were hearing it by now. He knew what was most likely happening: worried parents were calling for their children, ushering them into the house, everyone was trying to gather for their loved ones and those they were responsible for, and when all were accounted for, they wondered to themselves who would possibly be losing a family member today. He could see it in his mind, Ezlo was probably searching high and low for his apprentice as he always did when these crises arose.

All at once, the grass disappeared from his path. He'd come to the end of the grassy forest, and thankfully his path had not led him to the village. He was quite unsure of where he was, but nevertheless he wasted no time in looking for a place to hide now that he was in the clearing. Unfortunately for the Minish, however, he was cornered; behind him the _kissamo_, and in front of him a steep ledge of earth. This didn't stop him from at least trying, though. Digging his fingers in, the desperate Vaati tried to climb up the impassible ledge, but only succeeded in falling on his back after he'd barely gotten off the ground. Turning over, he looked up with despair in his features to see the gargantuan beast towering over him, licking its chops.

But that didn't mean he was done yet. In a last ditch effort, Vaati raised one hand into the air, and, breaking one of the most serious rules he lived under as an apprentice, concentrated on his first attempt to cast a spell outside of lessons. Focusing his remaining energy into a single point, the boy closed his eyes and called a single, strange word: "_Ripikiteri!"_

The result was pathetic, even for the standard of any onlooker. The intended beam of light was barely a flicker, flaring meagerly to life for a second or two and not nearly as bright as it should have been. The _kissamo_ was not deterred, it only seemed to grow more irritated and gave another calling before raising its claws into the air, perhaps intending to give its annoying prey a dispatching blow. Still not intending to give in that easily, Vaati's hand raised again, and he called out the sacred word.

This time there was a second voice in addition to his own, but before he could look around to locate its source a blinding light beam filled the air, aimed expertly into the eyes of the great beast. His own spell had not worked, but the other glowed with full force. The _kissamo_ yowled, reeling back, and turned away, running the direction from whence it had come.

When the light faded, and Vaati could see once more, there stood Ezlo, high above him on the ledge of soil. The old man waved his staff, engulfing himself in a light blue glow, and stepped from the edge, descending in a slow, gradual manner until he reached the bottom. Putting out a hand, which barely poked out from inside of the large green sleeve, Ezlo pulled his exhausted apprentice to his feet.

"Are you alright?" was the question. The panting Minish could only nod as a response.

Once this was confirmed, Ezlo's demeanor shifted. "Do you realize how close to the village you are?" he scolded.

"I... I was trying to lead it away..." the boy breathlessly explained, fighting, once again, the urge to cry at his master's harsh tone.

"No matter," the older Minish interrupted. "The _kissamo_ is still too close. Let us go while it is still unsure of your whereabouts."

* * *

_ Notes: "Kissamo" is a corruption of the Finnish word for cat, "kissa". And, the spell word, I made up. _


End file.
